Edward Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in the Canarsie neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, New York. During his childhood Lee spent time with his grandmother watching her cook, peaking his interest in the culinary arts. He entered the foodservice industry as a busboy at 14 and later worked in the kitchen of the restaurant. He opened Clay, a Korean restaurant, near Chinatown in Manhattan, New York in the 1990s. After the 9/11 terrorist attack Lee moved to Louisville, Kentucky where he opened the restaurants 610 Magnolia, MilkWood, and Whiskey Dry. Lee is the author of a cookbook Smoke & Pickles and a food memoir titled Buttermilk Graffiti. He has made numerous appearances on television shows, including Top Chef, The Mind of a Chef, and Culinary Genius. He opened a southern cuisine restaurant, Succotash, in National Harbor, Maryland and later Penn Quarter, Washington, D.C.